Process of burning acetylene gas.



PATENTED APR. 1'7, 1906.

J. B. CARROLL. PROCESS OF BURNING AGETYLENE GAS.

APPLIOATIOH FILED 001224. 1905- mmmmmmmmmm lzzverzzarx i wmo UETTEE STATES PATENT oEEToE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 17, 1906.

Application filed October 24,1905. Serial No. 284.206.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. CARROLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Burning Acetylene Gas, of which the following is a specification.

hen a jet of acetylene gas is projected from a small opening directly into the atmosphere and burned as it escapes, the opening soon becomes clogged with a solid deposit. This deposit may be either carbon or solid polymers or dissociation products of acetylene, or both. The fact that the deposit forms and accumulates is evidence that the walls of the opening are at a temperature below that at which the carbon or solid hydrocarbons oxidize or burn in the presence of air. To overcome this difficulty, it is usual to provide the burner with lateral inlets through which cold air is entrained by the jet of gas issuing from a small orifice. The gas is thus kept below the ignition-point until it is discharged from the burner, and the walls of the gas-orifice being remote from the point of combustion do not become heated to the temperature which will dissociate or polymerize the gas. It has also been proposed to cool the orifice below the gas-ignition point by a lateral stream of compressed air or by making the burner of a massive piece of metal to furnish an open path of escape for the heat radiated from the flame and by forming a basin in the end of the metal burner to cause an inrush of cold air to the gas at its point of escape.

The present invention is based on a diametrically opposite principle from that of the specified prior art. The burner is constructed of refractory heat-insulating material, such as lava. In the face of this burner and in axial alinement with the gas-orifice is arecessed flame-chamber and shield, preferably cylindrical in form and with a flat bottom. This chamber is connected to the gas-supply conduit by a short duct, so that the gas is at once delivered directly into the chamber, where it burns as a central jet of flame at some distance from the surrounding wall and apparently with its base at or near the orifice. The wall retains the heat, and its inner surface is raised to and maintained at a high temperature. The air between this hot surface and the flame is thus hi hly heated and moves inward toward the orifice, thereby supplying hot air to the flame and maintaining at the orifice a temperature above that which permits the accumulation of carbon or solid hydrocarbons. The surroundin wall also shields the flame and protects it from drafts. The amount and temperature of the air thus supplied to the orifice is determined by the width and depth of the flame-chamber, which should bear a certain relation to each other and to the pressure of the gas. The recess is of such width that the flame does not come in contact with its sides, and its depth must be such as not to unduly shade the flame and between upper and lower limits which cause accumulation of carbon at the orifice. If the surrounding wall of the recess is removed or pierced with holes which will permit an inrush of cold air, the flame remains unchanged in shape and appearance, but the orifice soon chokes.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a burner, and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section in a plane passing through the axes of the flamechambers.

The burner chosen for illustration is one of the duplex type having two branches 1 1, leading from a trunk 2, which is supported in the upper end of a metal tube 3. The branches 1 and trunk 2 preferably consist of a single piece of lava, steatite, or other heatinsulating material, although the branches may consist of separate pieces of such material. In the inner face of each branch is a recessed flame-chamber 4, which is preferably cylindrical and has a flat bottom 5. Within each branch is a gas-supply conduit 6, leading from a central passage 7. A minute cylindrical duct 8 extends from the conduit to the flame-chamber, the duct and chamber being in axial alinement. For general use with a gas-pressure equal to two and one-half inches of water the recess may have a depth of twelve-hundredths of an inch and a width of eighteen-hundredths of an inch.

In use the gas escaping from the ducts burns as a small central jet in each flame chamber, and the two flames impinging at right angles between the branches spread out into a broad thin flat flame. A stream of air continuously passes inward between the heated sides of each chamber and the central flame,'being thereby raised to a high temperature before it reaches the central duct. The gas escaping from the duct meets the hot air and springs into flame, the base of the flame being at or in such proximity to the orifice that the walls are maintained at a temperature above that which will permit the ac cumulation of carbon or solid hydrocarbons.

\Vhile the commercial burner usually comprises two branches with opposed flamechambers, it will be understood that a burner having a single gas-outlet and flame-chamber giving a candle-like flame may be employed.

I claim 1. The process of burning acetylene gas, which consists in projecting a jet of the gas through an orifice, burning the gas, and maintaining at the orifice a temperature above that which permits the accumulation of car bon or solid hydrocarbons.

2. The process of burning acetylene gas, which consists in projecting a jet of the gas through an orifice, causing the gas to burn with the base of the flame at or near said orifice, and heating the air supplied to the base of the flame, thereby maintaining at said orifice a temperature above that which permits the accumulation of carbon or solid hydrocarbons.

3. The process of burning acetylene gas, which consists in projecting a jet of the gas through an orifice, causing the gas to burn .with the base of the flame at or near said ori- 4E. The process of burning acetylene gas,

which consists in projecting a jet of the gas through an orifice, causing the gas to burn with the base of the flame at or near the ori fice, heating the air supplied to and causing it to move toward the base of the flame, thereby maintaining at the orifice a temperature above that which permits the accumulation of carbon or solid hydrocarbons, and shield ing the base of the flame and thereby restraining the escape of heat from the air which is moving toward the orifice.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 7th day of October, 1905.

JOHN B. CARROLL.

Witnesses D. H. FLETCHER, L. HEISLAR. 

